Musician Chance the Rapper Sued for Alleged Copyright Infringement

A New York lawyer and jazz musician, Abdul Wali Muhammad, has sued Chance the Rapper for copyright infringement.

Abdul Wali Muhammad (the Plaintiff) alleged that Chance the Rapper stole his music “Bridge Through Time” which was composed and copyright registered on May 21, 1979. The Plaintiff claims that Chance the Rapper sampled “Bridge Through Time” without his permission in the track “Windows” from Chance’s debut 2012 mixtape 10 Day.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Lonnie Liston Smith recorded “Bridge Through Time” in 1980 and released it on Columbia Records. His version of the song has been sampled by at least 13 artists.

The Plaintiff has asked a federal judge to order Chance the Rapper to stop selling and performing “Windows.”

Nathaniel is a News Reporting Intern at Nigerian Law Intellectual Property Watch (NLIPW). He has a passion for writing, capacity building and social media marketing. He is a graduate of Federal University of Technology, Minna, where he graduated with BTECHAGRIC. He is a member of Soil Science Society of Nigeria (SSSN) and the National Union of Campus Journalist (NUCJ). Nathaniel has served as Editor-in-Chief for a number of magazines and as a contributor to various online repositories. Email: anathaniel@nlipw.com

Related Articles

August 25, 2013 — About a month ago, the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) released a list of 40 cases and convictions brought against persons involved in the sale and possession of pirated films, infringement of […]

American premium cable and satellite television network, HBO, is reportedly suing a Chinese restaurant for infringing its trademark. According to a news report, the restaurant named HBO Studio Restaurant, which is located in the Wuxi, Jiangsu […]

In addition, ISP providers who transmit illegally uploaded materials and contents 48 hours after its legal owner has informed them of infringement through a formal takedown request, will be liable to a Sh500,000 fine if […]

Every September 1, Nigeria celebrates ” No Music Day”. No Music Day seeks to draw attention to the widespread infringement of copyright as it affects the rights of performers, bands, music composers, recording artists, song [...]